sugar & smoke rings
by The Rainbow Shaka-Brah
Summary: It wasn't often that the hunter felt nervous, the sensation feeling odd and foreign in their bones, a feeling that they knew could cost them their life if ignored and left to fester. But what intrigued them the most was the fact they had no idea why they were nervous, it wasn't like Bloodhound had never been in a bar before, so why was this trip any different?


Bloodhound stood quietly in the shadows overlooking a small bar, their eyes scanning over the street as they watched the bar's patrons slowly begin leaving the establishment, wandering off drunkenly down the road.

They weren't one for drinking, never quite understanding the appeal of inebriating yourself to the point where it was nearly impossible to keep your guard up and protect yourself from potential danger. So more often than not, the hunter found themselves as the designated caretaker for when all the other Legends decided to go out on the town after the Games had finished for the week. They didn't exactly mind, finding it slightly amusing to hear the Legends mumble random things in their drunkenness, telling them things they wouldn't normally say whilst sober.

Nights like those were guaranteed to be interesting and entertaining.

Bloodhound let out a breathy chuckle as they shook their head, once again focusing on the bar in front of them, simply watching the building. In truth, the hunter wasn't sure why they were waiting, wasting time standing outside alone in the cold, instead of entering the bar like they knew they were supposed to.

The night wasn't getting any younger and they were already behind schedule as it was.

"Do not make him wait any longer," they whispered softly to themselves, finally stepping out of their hiding spot and walking towards the bar, "Halda loforð þitt…".

It wasn't often that the hunter felt nervous, the sensation feeling odd and foreign in their bones, a feeling that they knew could cost them their life if ignored and left to fester. But what intrigued them the most was the fact they had no idea why they were nervous, it wasn't like Bloodhound had never been in a bar before, so why was this trip any different?

They sighed and continued on their way, pushing open the door and stepping inside. It was small and warm, the smell of stale beer and cheap peanuts filled the air, and just like they'd expected… all eyes were on them. But the hunter was used to it, everyone recognized them whenever they were in public (which was why they preferred not going out often) but they never paid the onlookers much mind.

"Jeez, to what do we own the pleasure, oh great and mysterious hunter?" The bartender asked once Bloodhound seated themselves at the bar, "Never thought my little bar would be popular enough to draw in two Legends".

Bloodhound huffed slightly, rolling their eyes from beneath their mask. "I am merely here to meet someone, one of your employees to be exact,".

"Oh?".

They nodded, "Would you please let Elliot Witt know I am here?".

The bartender laughed, "Ah, so you're the mysterious fella the boy never shuts up about! Seen you on TV, so I guess I understand what all the fuss is about. The kid's on break right now, so he's probably out back," he explained, pointing to a back door behind the bar, "Yer welcome to go back there if you want,".

"Thank you,".

The man just grumbled and waved them off, tending to a few other patrons that walked in after them as the hunter silently got up and disappeared behind the door.

The alley was dark and empty, littered with discarded with trash bags and other junk, no Elliott to be seen. Though it wasn't very difficult for the hunter to track him, the trickster didn't exactly try to hide where he was going, which made it easy to find him during the games.

It didn't take long, and not even a minute later, Bloodhound found the man in question leaning up against the wall of a nearby building, a cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth. They watched him for a moment, curiously observing him as he shifted impatiently on his feet.

This Elliott was much different from the one they were so used to seeing in the ring and around the housing complex all the Legends shared. During the games, Mirage was confident and cocky, self-righteous and flirtatious. But outside the ring, where there were no more cameras or adoring fans pawing at him… Elliott Witt was just like everyone else in Solace, just someone trying to get by.

Without much hesitation, Bloodhound finally walked up to their friend, their footsteps completely silent as they approached, "I did not know you smoked,".

Elliott jumped nearly a foot the second they spoke, clearly having been too lost in thought to realize they had snuck up-on him. "Jesus! Warn a guy next time! You're gonna give me a heart attack," the man said, taking a shaky breath as he removed the cigarette from his mouth and threw it to the floor, "And I don't really smoke… not anymore… I mean, I quit a few years back but… here we are!".

Why is he so nervous? The hunter thought, looking down at the cigarette as it burnt itself out. "So why do it now?".

"I didn't know if you'd show up, so… I got nervous, kinda bored too. I mean, I would have called you and asked if you were just going to blow me off but uh, I don't have your number. Do you… even have a phone?".

"Of course I have a phone, I'm not a barbarian," they chuckled dryly.

"That's… uh, that's good to know," Elliott continued, looking away in what the Bloodhound could only assume was shame, "So um, mind if I ask what took you so long? I'll be honest and say I really didn't expect to see you here tonight,".

A pang of… something shot through the hunter's chest, causing the edges of their lips to fall into a frown. "Já, you deserve an explanation for my tardiness. Arthur is not used to me leaving so late into the night, it took far longer than I would have liked to settle him, I hope this doesn't affect your plans?".

It… wasn't exactly a lie. The raven had given them some trouble… but that was only because Bloodhound themselves would not stop pacing around their room, debating on whether or not they should even go. But a promise was a promise, and they were not one for ignoring their commitments.

"I doubt it will," he said, sounding nervous again, "I mean, whenever I invite you guys out for drinks, Wraith is usually the only one to show, and we don't leave the bar until closing. So… if you're cool with hanging around a bar for the next few hours then 'the plan' shouldn't be a problem".

_Guilt._

That's what that feeling was.

They felt guilty.

But why?

"It won't be a problem, Elliott," Bloodhound said, hoping he could hear the sincerity in their voice, "Now… let us go inside,".

* * *

"Either I'm drunk or Bloodhound is sitting right there," Wraith said as she finally entered the bar, seeing Elliott all but doting over Bloodhound who was unamused by the man's antics as usual, "And I haven't even had anything to drink,".

"Good evening to you too, Wraith," they said, politely tipping their head.

The woman just blinked, walking up and poking their shoulder, "This has to be a dream, you never go anywhere, no one ever sees you leave your room!".

"I assure you," the hunter said, absently shooing her hand away, "this is real,".

"And it's awesome!" Elliott continued, "My best friends are here and this place is about to get lit! ".

Bloodhound's mind completely glossed over the fact that they had no clue what 'getting lit' meant, skipping right to the fact Elliott considered them his best friend. Sure it was a childish and juvenile term for your work acquaintances bout it made them feel… special. They'd never been someone's best friend before…

"In that case, shut up and pour some drinks," Wraith said with a friendly laugh, hopping up on the barstool beside them, "I wanna get hammered tonight,".

"Uh… don't we have a game tomorrow?".

"Shh… that's Tomorrow Wraith's problem, not mine,".

Elliott just shrugged and walked off to prepare some drinks, leaving Bloodhound and Wraith alone for a few moments. The woman immediately used the small window of privacy to ask them multiple questions while the man was out of earshot.

"Holy shit, you're here, Hound! I didn't think you'd show up, like… at all".

"I told him I would be here," they replied simply, scanning the rather empty looking bar for anything else to look at, "I had no reason to lie,".

"Okay but you always bail last minute, what changed?".

They didn't respond right away, honestly not sure what got them to change their mind. Perhaps they got tired of seeing Elliott look so defeated every time they declined his offer or watching the other Legends blow him off to do something else.

"I… am not sure. But I'm here, and that is all that matters," Bloodhound continued, already knowing Wraith wouldn't give up until she got some form of truth out of them, but thankfully, Elliott's return cut her questions short.

"Alright, here's a Screwdriver for the nice lady aaaand, what about you, Hound?" he asked, "You want anything? Do you even drink?".

"I do not drink in the company of others," they explained, gesturing vaguely to their mask, "Although… on occasion, I do allow myself a small amount of alcohol. But I have no intention of getting intoxicated tonight".

Both their eyes went wide for a moment.

"Okay… What's your poison, scotch, whiskey, beer?".

Bloodhound thought for a while before replying, "Mead is most preferable. It is hard to come by unless you brew it yourself, which is not difficult considering its simplicity".

"Holy shit, you brew your own booze?! We have to hang out more often," Wraith said, playfully patting their back, "You actually might be the most interesting person of us all,".

Due to their secrecy, that might be true.

"Okay, okay, but seriously, Hound," Elliott continued, "E-enough chit chat, can I buy you a drink?".

"I am fine, Elliott, thank you,".

"You sure? It's on the house!" he insisted.

Bloodhound just stared at him, vaguely gesturing to their mask again, "I will pass on the drinks tonight, elskan. Perhaps another day".

"What about dinner? Can I treat you to dinner? I did say I would after you saved my ass yesterday, thanks for that by the way,".

"Elliott…".

"Alright, alright… sorry," Elliott muttered, in a lighthearted, teasing fashion, but seemed slightly put off by their answers.

What was that about?

"Can I at least bring you a water?".

They knew they wouldn't be able to drink it, but nodded anyway, "Já, that should suffice, thank you,".

The man winked and gave them his signature smile before trotting off again to fulfill their order, "Coming right up!".

They rolled their eyes again, unable to ignore the smile forming on their lips. Bloodhound always seemed to smile more whenever they were around Elliott but had no clue why.

"Please tell me you aren't that dense" Wraith says suddenly, drawing them out of their momentary thoughts.

"Excuse me?".

"I thought you were a mighty hunter! You really didn't pick up any of those clues?".

They just blink, still confused.

"I… do not understand. What clues are you referring to?".

"Oh my god…".

"What?".

"Elliott?!" she said, keeping her voice low, "You really didn't notice what he was trying to do?".

"He offered me drinks and dinner. I said no. I don't understand what's…".

"Hound… he's hitting on you. He has been for months, have you seriously not noticed?".

"I…".

"And what's with calling him elskan? ".

Bloodhound felt their face get warm all of a sudden.

Shit.

"And before you say anything, just know I looked up the meaning months ago ,".

.Shit.

Their eyes widened slightly as they turned away.

"Shut up," they replied.

"Oh my god, you totally have a crush on him too, don't you?".

"It is none of your concern,".

"Oh but it is…"

"How so?" They retorted with a light, non-threatening huff.

"Because Elliott is my friend too, and I don't want to see him get hurt," she said, "I mean, I know you have no intentions of hurting him but as much of a cocky bastard as he is, he's still sensitive. And he really really likes you. He hasn't given up on you yet, but one of these days, he's going to get tired of waiting,".

Bloodhound opened their mouth to say something but shut it before they could get any words out. Was… was that what that feeling was? They liked Elliott as… something more than just… a companion? They'd never experienced anything like that before, with anyone… let alone someone they'd killed countless times in the ring, the action always leaving a bitter taste in their mouth.

They supposed it made sense.

"If… if what you say is true," they finally said, "If I do have a crush on Elliott, what- what would one do about it?".

"Oh my god, you, my friend, are adorable… asking me for relationship advice," Wraith said with a chuckle, "First things first, do you even like him like that?".

They nodded with no hesitation.

"Then just tell him, you don't even have to worry about getting rejected cause he likes you too!".

"I can't…".

"Why not?".

Bloodhound didn't respond, their hand absently reaching up to their chest and grabbing a wad of fabric from their coat. They'd never been with anyone before, they'd never let anyone get close enough to get to know them… and they wanted to with Elliott. They wanted him to know who they were, but… would he even like what he saw?

The question was left to hang in the air for a moment before Wraith sighed, seeming to understand what they were trying to say.

"Hey… listen to me. No matter what, Elliott likes you for you, okay? I can't think of a single reason why his feelings would change. Just… make the most of your time with him tonight, even if you don't tell him. Being here is enough,".

They nodded and swallowed the lump that had formed in their throat, "Okay… thank you, Wraith".

"No need to thank me, but just know we are so gonna talk about this later," she said, patting them on the back again, "Now cheer up, here comes your man,".

* * *

Bloodhound couldn't help but smile when Elliott returned, placing a glass of water down in front of them. It really wasn't just your typical glass of water, oh no, it was complete with a straw, little paper umbrella, and lemon garnish. I was completely over the top but… it was Elliott.

"Sorry it took me so long, this place is pa- pae… paked, this place is crowded!" the man explained, placing yet another drink in front of Wraith, "Micky was right, Legends really do draw in the crowds,".

"Do not worry, Elliott," they said, poking the straw through one of the ventilation holes on their mask and taking a small sip, "You are here now,".

Elliott covered his mouth in an attempt to cover up his laughter but was failing pretty miserably at it, his cheeks turning slightly red.

Wraith wasn't so subtle, at all.

"What?".

"You look ridiculous like that," he chuckled, "No offense, of course,".

"I'm only human, Elliott,".

"Are you though?".

"What do you think I am under here?".

Elliott looked away again, his face growing a deeper shade of red, "I- I dunno… I heard somewhere that you were part bat so… my imagination kinda took off from there,".

Bloodhound really couldn't help it, they really couldn't… they had to laugh. It was a soft, hearty chuckle… it had been years since they heard their own laugh. It was nice. "You… you truly believe those rumors? Oh elskan, I assure you, I am human," they said, reaching over and placing a gloved hand over his.

The man looked up and smiled widely at them.

"Good to know,".

* * *

"Thanks again for coming, Makoa," Elliott said, glancing into the backseat of the larger man's car at a very drunk Wraith who was passed out on the seats, "I would have driven her home myself but I've gotta close up shop here,".

"Don't worry about it, brother," he replied happily from the driver's seat, "You gotta job to do, I'll make sure she gets home safe. You coming too, friend?".

Bloodhound tried to ignore the look of shock and surprise on Makoa's face as he looked at them, very clearly not expecting to see them at the bar socializing with others when he (and everyone) knew they weren't exactly the socializing type.

They hesitated to answer, part of them wanting to go back into the safety of their quarters, and the other part wanting to stay and finally confront their feeling for Elliott.

"Go ahead home, buddy," the man said before they were able to answer, giving them a warm shy smile, "I'll see you in the ring tomorrow, okay?".

No.

No, they didn't want to go home.

Not yet.

Not now.

Not until...

"If is alright with you, Elliott" they began, slowly and inconspicuous, "I would like to stay and help. It is the least I could do. This evening was… very nice, I rather enjoyed myself,".

Another wave of surprised faces washed over the other Legends.

Elliott was blushing again, which he seemed to do quite a lot as it grew later into the night… or the more open they became with their feelings, "Oh! Uh, that would be awesome, Hound, but you really don't have to, it's fine. I can-".

"I insist, elskan,".

Bloodhound could see him swallow hard and nod.

"O- okay," was all the man was able to stutter out, "thank you,".

"Then I suppose my work here is done!" Makoa said with a light clap, giving the hunter a knowing smile. Clearly, Wraith wasn't the only one who noticed their developing feelings towards Elliott. "You two have fun now, you hear?".

"Pfft, like cleaning up a bar where the people act like pigs is gonna be- aaand he's gone," the trickster said, watching as the other man rolled up his window and quickly drove away, leaving him and Bloodhound alone on the sidewalk in front of the bar.

This was it then, wasn't it?

The hunter knew that if they waited any longer, the man they'd grown to adore would slip away. And they didn't want that, so focused were they on the Allfather's plan that perhaps somewhere along the way, they'd forgotten about intimacy and affection with another person, writing it off and inessential and useless to their work for the Gods.

Bloodhound didn't want to be alone anymore.

"Oh well, come on, Hound… let's go inside and start cleaning up," he said, beginning to walk back in the building.

They didn't move, finding themselves stuck in place.

Why was their heart beating so fast?

"E- Elliott?".

The man paused and turned back to them, eyebrows raised, "Hound?".

They'd stuttered a bit, that had never happened before.

"I… I would like to speak to you if you have a moment,".

Elliott nodded, taking a small step towards them, "Yeah, of course… is everything okay?".

Their chest was tight with anxiety, making it hard to catch a decent breath. A small wheeze escaped their throat as the hunter tried to get their next sentence out.

"I believe I may have made a mistake".

"What?".

Bloodhound winced slightly. That had come out wrong…

"Elskan," they said again, pausing as a blush crawled over their face, thankfully hidden under their mask. "I believe I may have… mistaken some of your advances as nothing more than you being friendly,".

His eyes widened slightly.

"...Okay?".

They took a breath, hoping to stop the slight tremble in their hands.

"Are… are you flirting with me?".

Now it was Elliott's turn to blush.

"Ye- yeah, um, you finally noticed?"

Another chuckle escaped them, "Not exactly… Wraith pointed it out to me. I am sorry it took me this long to realize your intentions,".

Elliott stepped forward, still cautious of their personal space, "Don't apo- appal… apoligo, just… don't say you're sorry for not catching on right away, I'm not upset,".

Bloodhound sighed with relief, inching themselves closer to him.

"Are… are you okay with that? With me flirting with you?".

"I… believe so. Yes,".

He swallowed hard.

"Does… does that mean-".

Bloodhound nodded, letting the words roll off their tongue, "Yes, Elliott. I- I like you too,".

His smile said everything.

* * *

"Can I ask you something, Hound?".

They were close, sharing a booth back inside the bar, knees brushing up against each other from under the table as they spoke like a couple of lovesick teenagers.

They loved it, it made them feel young again.

Hopeful.

"Of course,".

Bloodhound never thought they'd feel like that again.

Þakka þér allir faðir fyrir að blessa mig.

"So, um, what exactly does elskan mean, you call me that a lot and I've always been curious about what it means. Is it like my name in Icelantic or something?".

They wondered when he'd ask, a warm chuckled escaping their lips, "It is a term of endearment in my language. It means darling,".

Elliott's cheeks grew pink as he stammered a bit, "I- I never really took you for the romantic type, Hound. That's… that's really… huh, wow, I think you might be the first person to actually render me speechless. I really don't know what to say".

"You do not need to say anything," Bloodhound said as they reached across the table and gently placed their hand over his once more, this time running their gloved finger over his knuckles, "Your smile is enough,".

He shivered.

"I- I really wanna kiss you right now,".

They wanted him to kiss them, so badly they wanted that, but fear still ebbed away at their mind.

It would take a long time for them to open up again.

"When I am ready, ástin mín," Bloodhound whispered, "When the time is right, you may kiss me,".

_Perhaps that day will come soon enough, but not now._

_Please forgive me._

Elliott just smiled, his grip tightening slightly as he looked at them with stars in his eyes.

"I can wait. As long as you need, I'll wait for you,".


End file.
